Cyclone Can’t Stop WOMAD

Heavy rain fell on New Plymouth where WOMAD New Zealand was staged March 15-17. Rain fell heavily on the festival site on its second day, damaging tents where 3,500 were camping. But the show continued, with the 15,000 attendees covering themselves in plastic and dancing before the stage.

“We’ve turned the site into a town for a weekend,” said festival CEO Suzanne Porter, who took a slip in the mud after Pokey LaFarge’s set.

The three-day event featured highlights from acts including the USA’s Arrested Development and Red Baraat, New Zealand’s Tim Finn and Moana & The Tribe, Pakistan’s Asif Ali Khan, Portugal’s Carminho,  Sweden’s Ane Brun, Australian singer-songwriter Shellie Morris and Colombia’s La Chiva Gantiva.

There were also workshops to enlighten patrons on traditional instruments, language and dance styles of the indigenous Maori people, and exhibitions of indigenous art, craft, music and literature to display their continuous impact on New Zealand culture.

Total audience was 44,548, down from 46,551 last year. But Porter believes the event, which costs NZ$3.6 million ($3.1 million) to put on with NZ$1 million ($850,000) worth of corporate sponsorship, will break even. Not so lucky was Auckland’s Polyfest. It had to postpone its final and busiest day, which was to have brought in NZ$100,000 ($85,350) box office takings.

Festival director Theresa Howard said the event would be hit financially.